It is a new chapter for Aston Villa and, against Club Brugge, they turned the page. A first win of the season, albeit more nervy than anticipated, lit the spark for Unai Emery's side. It may not have completely ignited the season yet but John McGinn, Emi Buendia and Nicolas Jackson gave them a winning Champions League return.
Villa won but could have drawn - or equally triumphed more handsomely - during a game which went from comfortable to edgy to relief. It was a first victory since that historic night in Istanbul when McGinn lifted the Europa League in May. Since then it has been all change and, after another bleak Premier League opening, victory in Belgium was desperately needed.
With Fenerbahce and Viking to come at home in October, the path to Champions League progress is already opening up as Villa's new era slowly emerges. The visitors were in a commanding and deserved position at half-time, McGinn's opener making him the club's all-time record European goalscorer with 12. Buendia's strike and Jackson's first Villa goal - benefiting from Yann Sommer's rush of blood - had them cruising.
Brugge were poor and George Hemmings, Villa's first Champions League/European Cup teenage starter in 43 years, could have had at least one. Yet the hosts made it uncomfortable for Emery's men with Nicolo Tresoldi's penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's blatant handball setting up an anxious last half an hour, during which Tresoldi hit the post. It can be viewed as a blessing in disguise that Villa had to battle their way through and ride out the hosts' pressure to earn their first win of the season.
Adding the grit and determination to the quality of the opening half to prove they can get the job done. Not that they needed the evidence themselves, Emery and his squad always have that faith and the internal desire to progress no matter the obstacle. It was the same last season.
A below-par 1-0 win over limited Bologna - thanks to another McGinn goal - got Villa going and they hardly looked back. The victory kicked off the staggering run of 17 wins in 20 games which formed the backbone of returning to the Champions League and giving Villa momentum to win the Europa League. Since then, of course, Villa's spine has been torn out and Emery has to integrate 10 new players into his methodical methods.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
